Why in the world would Scott Brown , a former half-term Senator from Mitt Romney 's Massachusetts , put himself in the mix for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination ?

The real question is : Why not ?

When Brown told the Des Moines Register over the weekend that he was heading to the Iowa State Fair `` to determine whether there 's an interest in my brand of leadership and Republicanism , '' the news was met with some amusement by political insiders .

After all , Brown has already floated bids for New Hampshire senator and Massachusetts governor , and he does n't seem likely to pursue either .

2016 Watch : Scott Brown makes a stop in Iowa

Brown was thumped by Elizabeth Warren in his 2012 re-election bid , and he became something of a punch line earlier this year after he unleashed a volley of questionable late night tweets at some online critics .

But so what ?

The truth is that in today 's media environment , there 's almost no downside for a long-shot `` candidate '' like Brown to tell people he 's mulling a White House run . For someone with no real perch other than a paid gig at Fox News , it actually makes a lot of sense .

Just by going to the Iowa State Fair , a must-do for any ambitious pol , Brown will be rewarded with the only currency that matters in modern campaign politics -LRB- other than hard fundraising dollars -RRB- : Buzz .

`` Funnel cake and free name ID . What 's not to love ? '' asked Will Ritter , a Boston-based GOP operative and former Mitt Romney adviser . `` How many stories got posted about Ed Markey 's legislative agenda yesterday ? It 's fun . Senator Brown 's a skilled retail politician and this gives him a platform to talk about a brand of Republicanism we could use more of . ''

For obsessive political watchers , Brown 's shamelessness about the whole enterprise is kind of refreshing .

`` I do admire the audacity to just go to the state fair and tweet about it , '' said Jeff Smith , a professor at the New School and regular contributor to the Washington Twitter conversation .

Brown knows exactly what he 's doing .

Scott Brown stirs speculation with New Hampshire visit

It 's the same reason Iowa Rep. Steve King and New York Rep. Peter King -LRB- no relation ; not even close -RRB- are `` refusing to rule out '' a 2016 bid .

Will either of them be taking the oath of office one day ? Nope . But with so many news platforms to fill -- on television , on the web , on the radio -- a presidential trial balloon or a trip to Iowa is almost guaranteed to get you at least a crumb of media exposure , a boost in stature , and maybe even a few campaign contributions down the road .

Just look at this month 's Family Leadership Summit , a gathering of social conservatives in Iowa that drew potential 2016 presidential contenders Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum to the first-in-the-nation caucus state .

Both men seem likely to run for the Republican nomination , and both will be returning to Iowa over and over and over again in the coming years . But even if they do n't , the two conservatives proved how keeping one 's name in the 2016 conversation is its own reward .

In their speeches , Cruz and Santorum issued a series of anti-Obama bromides and boosted their profiles with the grassroots activists who attended the Iowa summit . Neither Republican did a single thing to advance the news cycle other than board an airplane to Des Moines .

Yet there they were , trailed at every turn by reporters from the Washington Post , Des Moines Register , Associated Press , New York Times , Dallas Morning News , Wall Street Journal , NBC News , ABC News and Fox News .

Another Cruz trip to Iowa stokes 2016 speculation

`` The focus on the 2016 presidential contest is completely ridiculous , and everybody knows it , '' wrote David Weigel of Slate after witnessing the cattle call .

Well , not completely . In our atomized media ecosystem , there 's certainly a market for niche political coverage , in the same way there 's a market for micro-reporting on the status of Robert Griffin III 's return from knee surgery .

More importantly , the presidential cycle is starting earlier than it ever has , with advisers to likely candidates working behind the scenes to assemble campaign infrastructure and peddle dirt on their potential opponents .

On the Republican side , Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are driving national discussions about ideology and governance .

Still , there 's a difference between running for president and `` running '' for president , even though it 's sometimes difficult to tell the difference .

Running for president requires hard work , an ungodly amount of fundraising effort , a professional team of advisers , polling , a paid media strategy , a voter contact operation and ballot access . See : Romney , Mitt .

`` Running '' for president means doing a lot of interviews and delivering some well-timed lines in debates . See : Cain , Herman .

Which category does Scott Brown fall under ? For the moment , it would seem the latter .

Looking at the 2016 GOP field , Christie probably has the Northeastern Republican lane all to himself , a prospect that would make it difficult for Brown to raise money . Before his Iowa trip , Brown met privately with Christie at the Republican National Committee 's summer conference in Boston , a meeting first reported by the New York Times .

Christie raised money for Brown several times during his Senate tenure , and , according to one Christie insider , the two are `` very friendly . ''

Then there 's the fact that Brown , who supports some abortion rights , is n't exactly a hardliner on social issues that matter to so many Republican caucus-goers in Iowa .

Even some of his former advisers are n't sure what he 's up to . Eric Fehrnstrom , the media strategist who crafted Brown 's truck-driving , regular-guy image during his stunning 2010 Senate upset , is not currently advising him , Republican sources told CNN .

Asked by text message if he 's serious about a presidential bid , one Republican who talks to Brown often responded : `` Who knows . You should call him and ask . ''

`` He 's acting on his own , as far as I can tell , '' another onetime adviser said in an e-mail .

But what if Brown takes off ? What if he gains a toehold in New Hampshire , rises to high single digits in the polls sometime in 2015 , and gets invited to some Republican primary debates ? What if he rattles off a few good lines , has his moment in the sun , and then fades ? He will have lost absolutely nothing -- but gained a spot on some vice presidential short lists along with a hike in his post-campaign speaking fees .

Another Republican who has spoken with Brown recently is n't surprised by the sudden interest in the presidential spotlight .

Brown , this person said , is a relentlessly enthusiastic guy who still takes great pride in capturing Ted Kennedy 's old Senate seat .

`` The fact that he is in Iowa does n't surprise me , '' the Republican told CNN . `` In ' 16 , it 's not a bad idea to put your name out there and see where it takes you . He was enthusiastic about getting back in the national conversation . I could definitely anticipate this . ''

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There 's a difference between running for president and `` running '' for president

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Scott Brown served part of one term in the Senate before losing his re-election bid

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There 's almost no downside in a politician saying he 's considering a presidential run

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Even some of his former advisers say they do n't know what Brown is up to